What was the first modern arena theatre?
The Penthouse Theatre. Professor Glenn Hughes, the founder and Dean (1930-1931) of the University of Washington’s School of Drama wanted a small, intimate space, for his educational theatre productions. Such a space was not available on campus so his first theatre (1935-1940) was the penthouse of a Seattle hotel. In 1940 a 160 seat arena theatre was built by the WPA on the university campus at a cost of a little over $ 64,000. This became the Hughes Penthouse Theatre. During the the 1950s and 60s many alternative spaces — car dealerships, hotel ballrooms, grocery stores, warehouses — became arena theatres. On a university campus the easiest space to adapt to an intimate arena theatre was the stage of the University’s large auditorium. In Columbus, Ohio, Roy Bowen of the Players Club created the Stadium Theatre, a 300 seat arena space under Gate 10 of the Ohio State University Football Stadium. 8. What is the difference between a found space and a black box theatre? An Arena Stage on
